A change from last week!

Yesterday afternoon I conducted a wedding in my church. Well, to be exact, it was in the vestry rather than the main Sanctuary, but as God is everywhere then the actual section of floor is not that relevant. Let me explain. The last wedding that I conducted in the church was in September 2003. Just a few months later the Sanctuary was closed due to the threat of the ceiling collapsing, and so no further weddings could take place in it. I actually had to cancel several weddings that were booked for the following eighteen months, as there was no knowing when the repairs would take place, or even what work might be undertaken.

Three-and-a-half years later, many committee meetings and deliberations having passed, and we now have finalised and approved plans for the complete refurbishment of the church, a job costing just over £400,000. All it waits for now is the final approval from the denominational Head Office. The fantastic news is that the only cost to the church is the cost of the Architect's fees which represent 9.5% of the total. The whole job is to be part of a partnership deal with the developer, with our input being a parcel of land on which the developer will build mews houses on. What a fantastic deal! Isn't God GREAT!!!

Last Friday, if you remember, I had the task of conducting the funeral of a 6-year old child, and so yesterday was a fantastic change in the opposite direction. It was also the oldest couple that I've ever been asked to marry, the groom being 72 and the bride 69. Believe you me, the look on their faces was all that I could wish for. Today I will be conducting a Blessing Service for them in a nearby church, loaned to us for the occasion, and that will be the Service which family and friends will be able to attend.

Life is full of opportunities, challenges and brickbats! So often we feel down when the brickbats come along, but what we should concentrate on are the wonderful opportunities that God blesses us with to celebrate His love for us. I always think that when we celebrate our love for one another, then it's also an opportunity to celebrate the source and creator of that love.

So, think of us at 4.00pm (GMT) this afternoon, and offer up a prayer of thanks for Ken and Margaret, asking God to shower their relationship with His blessings.